241. Day -1: Ignition, sequence, start …

So much to do tomorrow… really must sleep now… all my bags are packed, I’m ready to go; standing here outside your door… no, no, no – go to sleep… all my bags are packed, I’m ready to go… must print out the map… need to check the tension on that knitting, or I might take the wrong needles… standing here outside your door … can you buy knitting needles in Denmark?… must be able to – all those jumpers – or is that Sweden? All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…

I have an ear-worm (or earwig as Ma’s predictive text calls it); a song that has wriggled its way into my brain and starts up every time I’m on the point of falling asleep. Tonight my Inner Juke-Box has locked onto ‘Leaving on a Jet-Plane’. – a wrong choice on so many levels, as I keep telling it. Not the least of which is that tomorrow we’re going on the Eurostar which is not a jet-plane – ha! Bad choice of song, Inner Juke Box! Now let me get some sleep. All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…

Am I ready to go? I do have a list – many lists, in fact. We have our route worked out … see Exhibit A below.

I can’t help noticing that some of these lines go over blue bits on the map. I’m sort of working on the basis that the Fat Controller has a plan for these sections that doesn’t involve us getting out and swimming. But who knows? We’ll find out together.

We’ve booked all our AirBnBs; tomorrow night, we are staying in Gent with Pieter, Ziggy and their labrador Bruce. Incidentally, someone told me the other day how AirBnB got its name – apparently, the people who set it up, started with an airbed. Hence the ‘Air’ bit. In case you were wondering.

I’ve also messaged all our hosts for directions from the station. Most of the replies have been detailed and helpful. However, we might need a little more help finding the place in Lübeck:

“Hello Jellywoman. would run at the Holstentor and then still 13 minutes to the apartment greeting Wilhelm.”

Any idea?

We’ve got our Euros and our Krona; I’ve signed up for a month’s TunnelBear so we can get iPlayer and the Guardian crossword; there’s extra data onto my phone and extra minutes on his. Our Kindles are choc-a-block full of worthy books which we won’t read and murder mysteries which we will. There’s three week’s worth of cat-food in the cupboard and the Infant Phenomenon has her instructions. We’ve got plug adaptors, decaff tea and a pharmacy load of meds. I think I’ve thought of everything.

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go.

Aha: note to self. Pack bags.

You coming?

***
A few days ago, ActorLaddie and I went to a celebration of the life of Tom Isaacs, co-founder of the Cure Parkinson’s Trust. The celebration included a short film – just eight minutes – about Tom in his own words. He was a remarkable, inspirational, life-enhancing man and, even if you’ve never heard of him and have no interest in Parkinson’s, I urge you to watch the film. It’s here.